Nice Games Jam: "Reravel: A Backwards Storytelling Game"

This week, our boyfriend Dylan gave your nice hosts a prompt to create "a narrative game where the story is told backwards." This one is a slow burn, but it really cooks by the end!With Stephen still away, Dale LaCroix (she of Evil Games Club and your nice social media manager) re-enters in the clubhouse to help create this week's game.But Dale didn't just join your nice hosts for this week's jam. She also took the resulting game and made improvements once the recording stopped! Not only that, but she's going to keep working on it. It will be at Glitch's December Play/Test event if you want to play the latest version!Our original rules are presented below, and Dale's "first revised edition" is presented below that...PromptMake "a narrative game where the story is told backwards."Game typeTabletop gamePlayer count2-4MaterialsEND CARDS: 7 possible endings to your storySETTING CARDS: Places the story could take placePLOT CARDS: Events that might take place in your storyMAIN DECK: This is made up of several different types of cards:Character Cards - Describes the occupation or description of people who will be in your storyNoun Cards - Describes items that will be in your storyEditor Notes - Special instructions from your editor, this might include directions such as this next scene takes place in a different setting, or that someone in your story is not who you think they are.SetupDeal the following:One ‘Setting’ card. Deal face up and place it on top of the Setting deck.Three 'Main Deck' Cards. Deal face up. These will be the Goal Cards; if there are any Editor Note cards, place these at the bottom of the main deck and re-deal so that there are three total Main Deck cards representing the Goal Cards.One ‘The End’ card. Deal face up and place this on top of the Setting deck.Four ‘Plot’ Cards. Deal face down. One will be revealed each round during rounds 2-5.RulesORIGINAL RulesSTEP ONE: Start with the END ScenarioWe randomly selected by rolling a six-sided die, for the six END SCENARIOS:DeathGetting off a planeA big hug / reunionThe end of a weddingGetting on a planeFalling off a cliffAlso pick a character card from the deck - draw and discard until you get one - or roll a 20 sided die and table in step 2STEP TWO: Each Player picks a “card” and adds a detail about the card information that they picked.The FIRST ROUND will be picked from a separate pile of END SCENARIO DETAILS:Wine stainExplosionSight bruise to the upper armKnifeSpilled MilkBloody noseBroken SunglassesFrostbiteSomebody is wearing sweatpantsAn orangeTo mimic a card draw this use the following table:(Roll a 6-sided die, then a 20-sided die)A participantShopkeeperClericMagicianBrideCaptainPeasant/Passenger/GuestBartenderDetectiveChefChild(for 11-20, duplicate 1-10)A settingForestMall/ MarketTavernSchoolMeadowShipBridgeOfficeHomeCastle(for 11-20, duplicate 1-10)An action or event RobberyFightCrashBees!Heart AttackLunchtimeChildish InsultAnkle SprainCaught in TrafficOverslept or Fall Asleep(for 11-20, duplicate 1-10)An item PenCableKnifeOvenCommunication Device (Letter, Phone)MushroomBootCatBookSockFluteArrow(for 13 - 20, more cats, I guess?)ROLL AGAINA participant (use list from 1)STEP THREE: Together the group makes up a story about how each item goes together in this scene to lead up to the established storySTEP FOUR: Repeat for each previous “scene”. Each Scene will take place at some earlier point in time, it may be minutes, hours, days or months earlier. You decide what fits your story best.STEP FIVE: The fifth round is your inciting incident, the event that kicked off your story.SCORING: We haven’t figured this out, we discussed awarding points based on if random events happened during the story, such as:Scoring Events:Bloody NoseWeather EventSomebody TrippedSomebody got dumpedSomebody criesThe Devil shows upSomeone left to go to the bathroomThere was kissingOr awarding points with a judge or game master….UPDATED Rules by Dale"Re-ravel: A backwards storytelling game" (working title)IntroductionHave you ever heard the phrase, a camel is a horse designed by a committee? It’s a proverb about the faults of having too many designers in a room, causing a final poor design. The goal to this game is to write a story with your friends, but to protect against the story trailing off, like so many comedy sketches, your editor came up with the perfect ending, start with the ending! And it turns out there are only so many endings in human playbook.Each Game is made out of 5 Rounds or Acts, each moving backward in time.Three cards from the main deck are selected as goal cards. These can be used in your story at any time. Using each card is worth 1 million points for the team. If an editor note card selected as a goal card, this should be discarded to the bottom of the main deck.The last round, representing the first part of your story, will be the inciting incident.GoalCreate a coherent story while using each of the three elements from the goal cards with your writing committeeRound 1: The End RoundEach Player draws a card. For this round only, if you get a Editor’s note, redrawOne at a time. each player reveals their card, and creates one detail or fact about the item or character that they drew, and places the card near the ‘End Card.’ This fact should not relate to anything already placed on the board. The order of players does not matterExamples:Character Card - the Cleric - the cleric has a fancy hatItem Card - Wine Stain - the wine stain is on somebody’s white shirtItem Card - An Orange - The orange is part of basket of fake fruitTogether the players craft a scene in which all the elements are used, and results in the ending within the setting. At any time the players may pull in the elements on the goal cardsRounds 2-4: The Middle RoundsEach Player draws a card.Each player reveals their cardAdds a detail about their card (as in round one) unless it is a ‘Editor’s Note’ CardPlaces the card near the next face down Plot CardIf a Editor’s Note Card is drawn, follow the directions on the card.When all the elements of the story, the Plot Card is then revealed.The players then craft the scene. They must use all the elements that were revealed this round. They may use any elements that were revealed in the previous round (i.e. later in the story). They may use any of the elements from the goal cards at any time. The scene should connect and make story-scene with the other scenes that have been crafted.Round 5: The Final Round, i.e. the beginning of the StoryEach Player draws a card.Each player reveals their cardAdds a detail about their card (as in round one) unless it is a ‘Editor’s Note’ CardPlaces the card near the next face down Plot CardIf a Editor’s Note Card is drawn, follow the directions on the card - Unless it is a Epilogue card  or other card that places this out of order - please redrawWhen all the elements of the story, the Plot Card is then revealed.The players craft the first scene. They must use all the elements that were revealed this round. They may use any elements that were revealed in the previous round (ie later in the story). They may use any elements of the goal cards at any time. The scene should connect and make story-scene with the other scenes that have been crafted AND this should somehow start the story (the inciting incident) - How does this plot point kick off the rest of the story.END of GAME:Optional: Retell the story in the forwards directionAward your Committee the following points:1 million points for each goal element used in the story100 points if your story made any sense.500 bonus points if you had a really difficult element you had to fit into your story.